The Loyd Star Lady Hornets knocked off the Wesson Lady Cobras to claim a 54-40 victory Tuesday night at Loyd Star Gymnasium. In boys’ action, the Cobras defeated the Hornets 85-66.

Wesson will resume action Friday as it hosts the Brookhaven Panthers for a pair of varsity games. The girls will tip off at 6 p.m., followed by the boy at 7:30 p.m.

The Hornets and Lady Hornets will return to action Jan. 5 as they visit Wesson to take on the Cobras in a rematch of four games.

Lady Hornets 54, Lady Cobras 40

The Lady Hornets’ strong post play was too much for the Lady Cobras to handle in the first half as Loyd Star captured a 16-9 lead in the opening quarter. Loyd Star increased its lead in the second period to take a 28-15 advantage into halftime.

Loyd Star (6-1) opened the third period with a 15-8 run to push its lead to 43-23.

In the final quarter, Wesson (4-7) put together a 17-11 run to cut into Loyd Star’s lead, but couldn’t overcome the large deficit.

“The girls came out and played really well for three quarters, but we slacked off to early in the fourth as Wesson made a good comeback in the fourth quarter,” said Loyd Star coach Gene “Moochie” Britt. “Overall, I was pleased to get the win and I am proud of the girls’ effort.”

Makenzie Smith powered the Lady Hornets with a game-high 28 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Jordan Shelby chipped in with 12 points and six rebounds. Hannah Dickerson netted six points and had four rebounds. Caylee Yarborough and Toni Banks scored three points each. Faith Bergeron had two points.

Jashia Smith was the top scorer for the Lady Cobras with 14 points. Aurianna Vaughn contributed 11 points. Jamiya Christmas and Alaysha Vaughn provided five points each. Carnesha Green had three points and Tashay Glasper added two points.

“The girls played sloppy early and Loyd Star did a good job taking advantage of it,” said Wesson coach Rusty Newman. “Loyd Star’s post play is really good. Overall, I was pleased with my girls’ effort. They fought hard until the very end.”

Wesson 85, Loyd Star 66 

The Cobras and Hornets came out firing on all cylinders as Wesson took a 48-32 lead into halftime.

In the final period, Loyd Star (4-3) put together a late run to cut into Wesson’s lead at 76-66 with two minutes left, but the Cobras (8-3) answered with a 9-0 run to end the game.

“The guys played good team ball both offensively and defensively,” said Newman. “Our pressure managed to create some easy baskets early and we managed to get the win. Overall, I was pleased with my guys’ efforts and I’m glad to get the win.”

Senior forward Anthony Jones pumped in a game-high 38 points to lead the Cobras. Eric Rhymes contributed 25 points. Shemar Dickerson chipped in 12 points. Jermaine James provided four points. Brian Thomas, Will Hulon and Trey Glasper scored two points each.

Levi Redd directed the Hornets’ scoring with a team-high double-double of 21 points and 11 rebounds. Javion Beard netted 12 points and had six rebounds. Avery Leggett chipped in with 10 points. Zach Arnold contributed eight points. Cade Hodges scored seven points and had three rebounds. Patrick Price finished with six points and five rebounds.

“We did not come ready to play,” said Britt. “We committed too many turnovers and we gave up too many second chance opportunities that hurt us early in the game. The guys did a good job fighting back in the second half, but we just could not overcome the large hole we dug ourselves into. Wesson shot the ball well and they out-hustled us tonight.”

In junior high action, Loyd Star captured a split against Wesson.

In the girls’ game, the Lady Hornets beat the Lady Cobras 38-18. Taylor Smith led the Lady Hornets with 13 points. Whitney Watts scored 12 points and Malori Cade added six points.

Latavia Jackson was the top shooter for the Lady Cobras with 15 points.

In boys’ action, the Cobras thumped the Hornets 59-37. Kenner Bizot powered the Cobras with 18 points. Darrian Gibson and Damien Smith contributed 11 points apiece.

Roberto Galindo directed the Hornets with 11 points. Stephen Mills provided 11 points and Thomas Kelly scored seven points.